A dynamic graphical interface for visualizing projected, measured, and reconstructed surface water elevations on the earth's largest lakes

There is a growing need within the international water research and water resources management community, and the general public, for easy access to time-series of projected, measured, and reconstructed marine and freshwater coastal surface water elevations. There is also a need for effectively communicating variability among different surface water elevation data sets, as well as the intrinsic uncertainties in surface water elevation forecasts. Here, we introduce an interactive web-based interface, the Great Lakes Water Level Dashboard (GLWLD), designed to address this need for the North American Laurentian Great Lakes, the largest assemblage of unfrozen fresh surface water bodies on planet Earth, and one with a coastline of over 16,000 km (roughly 10,000 miles). The GLWLD is a Flash-based tool that can simultaneously display time-series of measured monthly and annual water level data and seasonal forecasts for each of the Great Lakes, reconstructed lake levels from paleoclimate research, and decadal lake level projections under alternative climate scenarios. By employing a suite of novel data transfer, processing, and visualization tools, the GLWLD allows users to seamlessly transition not only between alternate displays of Great Lakes water levels over different temporal scales, but between different data sets and forecasts as well. Furthermore, the unique GLWLD interface can help users understand the extent to which decisions regarding the use of the lakes depend on an appreciation of uncertainty and variability within, and between, different sources of Great Lakes water level information.